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mfraise05's review
1.0
I've been working on this book for about three weeks and cannot get through it. I'm calling it quits on page 101 which is a shame because it sounds like a story I would enjoy. However, I can't stand the younger version of the narrator Gran Gran (Granada in her youth) and it's taking far too long for Odell to really get into the meat of Polly Shine's character.
I find the writing lacking in its description of everything save the scenery of the Mississippi Delta and there's been an inability thus far to etch out any distinctive traits in any of the characters - for me, they could all be interchangeable save maybe for the mute little girl that Gran Gran is telling this story to who has just witnessed her mother's death. *shrug* I tried, really, I did.
Side note: I don't know who they paid to write the raving reviews on the back of this novel but they ought to be ashamed of themselves.
"...Odell gives voice to strong women at a time in history when their strength might have been their undoing. This moving story is a must-read for fans of historical fiction."
Rubbish, I say. The women I've encountered so far are as one-dimensional as they come. I didn't know until I gave up on the book that the author was caucasian and I would imagine it's difficult for a white male to write from the voice of black, enslaved, females. That being said, it seems it's the *effort* at sincerity that's making these characters flat and the emotion forced.
I find the writing lacking in its description of everything save the scenery of the Mississippi Delta and there's been an inability thus far to etch out any distinctive traits in any of the characters - for me, they could all be interchangeable save maybe for the mute little girl that Gran Gran is telling this story to who has just witnessed her mother's death. *shrug* I tried, really, I did.
Side note: I don't know who they paid to write the raving reviews on the back of this novel but they ought to be ashamed of themselves.
"...Odell gives voice to strong women at a time in history when their strength might have been their undoing. This moving story is a must-read for fans of historical fiction."
Rubbish, I say. The women I've encountered so far are as one-dimensional as they come. I didn't know until I gave up on the book that the author was caucasian and I would imagine it's difficult for a white male to write from the voice of black, enslaved, females. That being said, it seems it's the *effort* at sincerity that's making these characters flat and the emotion forced.
maiello13's review
5.0
From the "Note to the Reader" at the end of the book:
For the first time I saw the whole picture. This is not black history, I thought. This is my history! And I know nothing about it. These people, white and black, and especially the unspoken space between us, made me who I am. Every day as a white man I shape and am shaped by race.
This book blew me away from the very beginning. Gran Gran's voice floated through me like Polly's floated through her. Mr. Odell did a beautiful job of bringing the black midwives stories to life for this young, white, privileged woman. Through Polly's voice he reminded me over and over again that we are all part of a river that leads to God. I will never be able to understand what it's like to be black in America, but this book gave me a glimpse into one person's life. Thank you, Mr. Odell!
For the first time I saw the whole picture. This is not black history, I thought. This is my history! And I know nothing about it. These people, white and black, and especially the unspoken space between us, made me who I am. Every day as a white man I shape and am shaped by race.
This book blew me away from the very beginning. Gran Gran's voice floated through me like Polly's floated through her. Mr. Odell did a beautiful job of bringing the black midwives stories to life for this young, white, privileged woman. Through Polly's voice he reminded me over and over again that we are all part of a river that leads to God. I will never be able to understand what it's like to be black in America, but this book gave me a glimpse into one person's life. Thank you, Mr. Odell!
ginelise's review against another edition
5.0
I can definitely say, The Healing was one of the best books I've read all this year.
somanybookstoread's review against another edition
3.0
This book was slow to get started but I enjoyed it. I'd probably give it four stars if it hadn't been SO slow to grab my interest.
janetll's review
4.0
I could have lived without the mystical/magical elements, but it's certainly possible the characters involved would have believed them. Aside from that I found this book to be a wonderful description of life on a plantation right before emancipation (with all its terribleness), and it increased my understanding of the situation of freed slaves as well as the white people who had their own burden under slavery. I greatly admire the author's passion for this subject.
trueleahliongirl's review
4.0
Interesting especially considering the authors background. How does a white man raised in Mississippi write a book from the point of view of a black slave midwife? Amazing. Redeeming.
jillianwolf's review
5.0
The Healing by Jonathan Odell has been compared to the monster hit “The Help” in that they are both stories about women treated as Slaves in the South. While I liked “The Help,” I was actually really glad the stories read very differently to me. Where “The Help” felt light in many ways to me, “The Healing” was a complex, vivid portrayal of how multi-generational the effects of slavery were in the United States as well as how interconnected the lives of people are in many ways.
Granada is a slave born on a plantation that seems plagued by bad luck. When the plantation’s mistress loses yet another child to death, Granada is brought in as a surrogate child. Years later, Polly Shine, a slave healer, is brought to the plantation to heal the slaves when a disease breaks out and Polly’s arrival brings Granada to her knees and changes how she views her world and herself. How Polly goes about changing life on the plantation is staggering and completely unexpected. The book was compelling and I enjoyed reading it. I found myself bringing it with me everywhere so that I could read it in my downtime. While it does not have the humor of some of the contemporary setting novels of late, the story is well-written and I felt better for having read it. It involved some mystical elements and also some interesting insights into human nature. A thoughtful novel that I could re-read a few times and still not catch everything the author intended.
Granada is a slave born on a plantation that seems plagued by bad luck. When the plantation’s mistress loses yet another child to death, Granada is brought in as a surrogate child. Years later, Polly Shine, a slave healer, is brought to the plantation to heal the slaves when a disease breaks out and Polly’s arrival brings Granada to her knees and changes how she views her world and herself. How Polly goes about changing life on the plantation is staggering and completely unexpected. The book was compelling and I enjoyed reading it. I found myself bringing it with me everywhere so that I could read it in my downtime. While it does not have the humor of some of the contemporary setting novels of late, the story is well-written and I felt better for having read it. It involved some mystical elements and also some interesting insights into human nature. A thoughtful novel that I could re-read a few times and still not catch everything the author intended.
greenmachine31's review
4.0
Really enjoyed this book. I liked the idea of finding your healer within and the idea of Freedom.
sheridacon's review
5.0
One of the best books I've ever read. Beautiful writing and a wonderful story with spiritual meat to it. Some favorite quotes:
"Granada knew she was supposed to avert her eyes, but she couldn't help stealing glances as more white folks entered the room and then stood about with their company manners, all stiff and formal, performing half bows, with their stifled laughs that sounded like coughs.
More interesting than their words were the spaces they left between, the gaps of silence separating the speakers. They talked the way they danced at their fancy balls, holing each other at considerable distance. Nobody ever crowded in on top of another. They reminded Granada of cold pots in the fireplace. Not like Chester or Aunt Sylvie and Pomp when they got to carrying on in the kitchen. They came to full boil, sloshed over the sides, and didn't care who noticed."
"'Them folks are just like us. But they get treated like cattle is all. Only difference is we get treated like pet dogs. Don't make us any better. We just know more tricks.'"
"'You got eyes that can see what nobody else can see, if you would only look.'"
"'God always creating something,' Polly said, her voice carried away by a strengthening current. 'Always something trying to be born, Granada. That's what I whisper in they ears.'"
"'Granada, this here. . . ain't nothing but a tangle. It's the weave you got to remember, Granada.'"
"'Just remember,' Polly said carefully, 'these pretty words on this scrap of paper ain't going to make you free. The master can't give you your Freedom. The Yankees when they come can't. I can't If you think any somebody can, then you always going to be their slave.'"
I could go on and on. I loved every line of this book. So profound and, well, healing. A delight to read.
"Granada knew she was supposed to avert her eyes, but she couldn't help stealing glances as more white folks entered the room and then stood about with their company manners, all stiff and formal, performing half bows, with their stifled laughs that sounded like coughs.
More interesting than their words were the spaces they left between, the gaps of silence separating the speakers. They talked the way they danced at their fancy balls, holing each other at considerable distance. Nobody ever crowded in on top of another. They reminded Granada of cold pots in the fireplace. Not like Chester or Aunt Sylvie and Pomp when they got to carrying on in the kitchen. They came to full boil, sloshed over the sides, and didn't care who noticed."
"'Them folks are just like us. But they get treated like cattle is all. Only difference is we get treated like pet dogs. Don't make us any better. We just know more tricks.'"
"'You got eyes that can see what nobody else can see, if you would only look.'"
"'God always creating something,' Polly said, her voice carried away by a strengthening current. 'Always something trying to be born, Granada. That's what I whisper in they ears.'"
"'Granada, this here. . . ain't nothing but a tangle. It's the weave you got to remember, Granada.'"
"'Just remember,' Polly said carefully, 'these pretty words on this scrap of paper ain't going to make you free. The master can't give you your Freedom. The Yankees when they come can't. I can't If you think any somebody can, then you always going to be their slave.'"
I could go on and on. I loved every line of this book. So profound and, well, healing. A delight to read.